Glee: Season 2 (2010-2011)

I've just had a quick skim of what I said about season 1 of Glee last year and it appears I loved it a heck of a lot. For some reason though, the second season didn't grab my passions the way that freshman year did. Maybe there was a bit too much pandering to the charts, maybe there was a lack of focus and Sue was underused. Or maybe I was just preparing myself for Channel 4 losing the rights to bloody Sky! They did this to me with Lost, I saw 2 seasons, got emotionally involved and then Ch4 couldn't be bothered and let Sky take it away, so I've never seen that since. Oh I could buy the TV but that's not the point. If they let them take Desperate Housewives away I'm getting rid of the TV. 

Anyway, back to Glee. Yes it still has the power to knock me off my feet with amazing song and dance numbers, and Sue et al are still capable of raising really belly laughs - Brittany particularly. And then in the penultimate episode - the best of the series - Glee actually brought me to the point where tears were rolling down my cheeks. This doesn't happen to me when I'm watching TV and movies, I can usually maintain a cool distance, but for some reason when they killed off Sue's sister it choked me up, I think it's the humanising of monster Sue that generates such an impact. 

Thinking about it, I preferred the latter half of the series, as it shed Terri and stopped banging Kurt's 'GAY IS OK' drum so loud, and the show seemed to become a bit more focussed somewhow. I know Kurt's story is probably inspirational for many young and old gay kids out there (and their parents) but sometimes it felt like the gay agenda got in the way of Glee's fun, ironic starting point. It seems churlish to moan, but at least they've given him a boyfriend and shown he can be happy. Maybe now they'll show how Kurt can just get on with his life as a human being first, and have his sexuality not be an issue. They might do this, but I won't be able to see it, thanks again Channel 4. One of the highlights of the show this year was finding out that Gwyneth Paltrow can really knock out a tune, her Forget You being a prime example! It also explained a lot about what she was doing singing the same song at the Grammy's (or whatever music awards it was).

I really liked some of the new characters, particularly geeky-yet-hot Sam, and Sharon Bieste the new football coach (who disappeared towards the end, why?) added an extra emotional depth to the show. I thought that the homophobic-bully-who's-really-gay was also a more interesting and realistic storyline than Kurt's drama queen display and I wanted to see more of it. Sometimes though it feels like there are too many characters and some inevitably get forgotten. At least there's still room for my new favourite star, Sue's sidekick Becky, who gets a tonne of great lines. There's much to love about the second season of Glee in retrospect, but the odd episode felt a bit flat or forced - especially when crow-barring themes or particular artists into a show. I will miss Glee's sense of fun and humour on a Monday night, but I'm sure there are plenty of other shows to fill the gap in the meantime.